Fairhope Board of Adjustments approves church expansion, indoor car dealership, chiropractic office and Sweetwater restaurant; two items tabled

The Fairhope Board of Adjustments approved several land‑use requests at its recent meeting and tabled two items for further work with city staff.

Most significant approvals included an expansion for St. James Episcopal Church, permission for an indoor high‑end car dealership at 365 Commercial Park Drive, a professional medical office use for Sweet Home Chiropractic, and conditional approval for a restaurant at the Preserve at Sweetwater. In two cases the board agreed to wait for revised materials: a front‑setback variance application for 50 Fells Avenue was tabled at the owner’s request, and a proposal from Culver’s for dedicated in‑car dining parking spaces was tabled after lengthy discussion (see separate article).

St. James Episcopal Church — 860 North Section Street: Planning staff recommended approval to allow the church to expand on its roughly 9.6‑acre R4 parcel, including a new entrance from North Section Street, reconfigured parking, new sidewalks and a phased plan that includes a multipurpose building in phase 3. Michelle Melton, a city planner who presented the case, told the board that “staff does recommend approval of this case to allow St. James Episcopal Church to expand within its site.” Board members moved, seconded and…